Test.

The day of our test had finally arrived. We all gathered outside the city, and several classes all merged together. Looking around I even saw Lu's class, but she didn't seem to be with them….

"The test is simple. You've been given information and practice fighting, hunting, and tracking all the monsters in the surrounding area, and even a few monsters that aren't typically seen here just to be safe. You will go out and hunt one. The level of monster you kill will then be calculated into your first temporary rank. Come back with anything and you pass with a rank of chief and continue on. Come back with a bladehorn ram, a bear, or three wolves, and you will be a centurion. Larger more dangerous prey or several dire wolves will grant you the rank of lieutenant. In order to be granted the rank of guild master, you will have to find something truly dangerous, such as a Kotokan, a Gryla, a hydra, a water panther, or something of that nature… However, I would advise against hunting any of those. Do you all understand? Also, to achieve any rank past centurion you must hunt alone."

No one had any complaints… Of course no one had any complaints… And with that, it began. We had the whole week to test our luck. Mo went off on her own looking for something equivalent to dire wolves, and Bear and Isy teamed up, deciding they would rather play it safe and that they really didn't need to be that high of a rank anyway. That just left me… Obviously I couldn't let myself get shown up… And so, I set out on my own as well, determined to at least do as well as Mo.

"Siya," Kal called my name softly from behind, but with my senses sharpened, I could feel his breath even from several feet away, making me straighten out my posture and stiffen up. 

"Heya teacher! What's up?" My voice raised in pitch as I tried not to sound awkward, just glad I didn't stutter.

He paused for a moment, as if somehow he was the one taken by surprise, then quickly brushed it off and continued on. "Seeing as how you killed a large and very dangerous demon recently, you don't have to actually take this test. And seeing as how you did it alone I can just give you the rank of guild master. Or at least lieutenant, for the dire wolves you killed. The demon's strength is a little hard to judge since no one else fought it. But we have the crystal as proof."

'Can I really…' I sighed. "No… That would look bad. It's better to just do things the right way when you can… Otherwise, people might start saying I'm using you to my advantage… Regardless of who approves it… This was your idea right?" 'For both our sakes it will be best if I go through the test and have the other teachers judge and rank me…'

He narrowed his brow. "I suppose… I didn't think of that… You're right. Especially if we do end up in a relationship that would be for the best."

"I-if what now?" 'So much for only seeing me as a student… Is this the power of a mature woman's figure?'

He casually crossed his arms as if he had said something completely normal. "If our parents agree that we should get married, we don't have to follow through with it, but to honor them it would be expected for us to date for a time, rather than just refusing."

"Is that so… I had no idea…" 'Mom… If you force me to date this man I'm gonna be so mad… I'm too busy for things like this…'

"Oh, and I feel as though I should tell you this… please be careful. Knowing you I have a feeling you'll come back half-dead with something crazy…"

"Ha… No promises babe." I threw my sword over my shoulder and started walking away, my stride stiffening as I realized what I had just said. 'It's like I'm not even the same person! What was that? What am I saying! No… This… Is actually normal for me isn't it…'

I slowly turned back to look at him but he was already talking with another student. When he saw me looking he smiled and waved, making me quickly turn around again and keep walking. 'Ugh… I really hope we don't end up dating… At least not until I go back to normal. I can feel part of me gagging every time I look at him… This is just too much right now…' I sighed heavily, locking my sword onto my back. 'Ok… If I'm hunting monsters anyway, I might as well go see why the bladehorn rams are going extinct right? I bet it's not Dire wolves, they tend to hunt bigger prey or things that rely on hearing to take advantage of their sound dampening magic. I CAN NOT go much longer wearing clothes that don't fit right.'

Since we had the whole week I wasn't in any rush. I went ahead and grabbed Fritz from the stables and rode her off to the forest where the rams used to live in abundance. "Ok girl, can you tell if something is wrong? You used to be like one with nature and stuff when you were a divine beast right?"

She sighed as I got off and started looking around.

'I'll take that as a no…' "That just worries me more though… I can't sense dark magic in this form, so I have no way of telling if it's a demon…"

She neighed, shaking her head as if suddenly feeling uneasy. 'That's not good… If it's spooking her that's even worse…' She took off like a gazelle and pranced quickly over to a massive hoof print larger than my chest. 'That's… Slightly worrying…' I got off and took a closer look. 'Bipedal, but the fact it left tracks at all means it's not in the abyss. Even if it is a demon it's probably better to stay in this form if I'm fighting in this plane… Or… Maybe not? With savage strike I can cut through anything.'

I whistled for Fritz to come closer and pointed. "Can you track it?"

She let out a huff, shaking out with a snort as if it smelled bad, slowly pointing with her neck and a sharp scowl.

"Good girl. I'll give you treats when we get back."

She sighed again, kneeling down out of habit to make it easier for me to get on. Being big had a lot of advantages for sure… But being able to comfortably ride bareback was not one of them. When I was practically weightless I couldn't even feel Fritz's bones, basically being supported by her strong muscles and fluffy fur. After more than doubling in size though, her bones poking into me was practically all I felt after a while. Eventually, I just got off and walked, after stretching my legs. 'That's going to take some getting used to…'

After tracking it for a couple hours we finally ended up in a large dirt cleaning, almost like someone had carved an arena into the ground. Nothing was there though, and most of the tracking we had done just led us in circles. Even using my heightened senses. I could smell it, but it was the same scent Fritz had picked up. I could see tracks, but they didn't lead anywhere. There was no heartbeat, no breath, and all the animals around us were either dead or long gone.

'It seems like it is a demon after all… And it's hiding in the abyss right now.' I slowly swallowed. 'I'll have to separate our souls again… And it's probably going to hurt…' Sitting down I slowed my breathing and closed my eyes, trying to use dark magic and manipulate my soul… But nothing happened. I tried again and again but it was hopeless. It felt like I was just breathing. I could still feel my soul, but it was entirely wrapped up in a thin layer of gold. 'Did he trick me?' My heart began to race. 'If it takes me into the abyss like a ghoul then… then what?'

I stood up tensing my body and trying again, this time with both magic and my soul, but I just scorched the ground, leaving black flame marks around the strange dirt arena. Once again nothing. 'No… You're kidding right?' I looked down, unable to see my toes, grabbing my leg, now able to hold it in my hand like warm dough instead of hard rock like it used to be. 'This is… Really my body? Seriously? I'm not…'

After the initial panic set in it eventually faded, only then did I start to think through it. 'No… Dragons can't lie unless they were born to, it goes hand in hand with why they can't use dark magic, and why their souls are unchanging… So there is a way to reverse this… Somehow…' Looking back at Fritz, who was helping herself to several plants she decided looked tasty, I nervously got her attention. 'I guess I might as well just wait here then… The demon will show up eventually… I won't be able to chase it if it runs, but they rarely do that… And if Fritz isn't spooked then I have no reason to worry… While dark magic makes my blades sharper, it's not like it's universally better than having a ton of extra manna and strength.'